Electromagnetic multiswitching apparatus



Nov. 15, 1938. A s. DUBUAR ELECTROMAGNETIC MULTISWITCHING APPARATUSFiled Sept. 1.1, 1935 mun/T02? A. S. DUBUAR @QKM I ATTORNEY UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTROMAGNETIC MULTISWITGHING APPARATUS Arthur S.Dubuar, Millburn, N. J., assignor to Bell Telephone Laboratories,Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation. of New York ApplicationSeptember 11, 1936, Seri'alNo. 100,298

4 Claims. (01. 200-104) This invention relates to electromagnetic therelay showing the relation of the springs to switching apparatus andmore particularly to a the common draw-bar and the relation of the relaystructure of the multicontact type, that is, a latter to the armature ofthe magnet. relay which is adapted to control the operation Referring tothe construction in detail the magof a plurality of contacts through asingle drawnetic structure of the relay is made up of the core bar actedupon by the electromagnetic member 2 mounted upon the end support 21,the exciting of the relay or some element thereof. coil I wound uponsaid core, and the armature One of the principal features of myinvention 3 hinged at the rear to the magnetic block 4 in is theapplication of the sliding contact princlany suitable manner. Thearmature is held in its pie to the construction of a multicontact relaynormal position of rest, that is, against the backwhich shall be freefrom contact vibration when stop nut 6 carried by the threaded pin 28sethe relay operates and when it releases. cured to the front end of thecore, by balancing Another object of the invention is the use of asprings 5 tensioned against the studs 1 secured standard contact springwhich can be adjusted on either side of the armature.

or non-conducting member of the draw-bar in front portion thereofimmediately behind the order to produce any combination of contactthreaded pin 28 is attached a U-bracket 8 having closures required bythe circuits to be controlled an aperture through the center of itsright leg thereover, thereby avoiding the necessity of using to allowfor the passage of the threaded stem 9 different kinds of springstoproduce the differconnected to one end of the commutator draw- 20 entcontact combinations required by a variety bar If]. The commutatordraw-bar 10, having a of circuit functions. In the manufacture andlength adapted to the number of contact springs maintenance of therelay, this is a great advanwhich the relay is designed to carry, issecured tage over the conventional type relay, first beto the armatureof the relay by the stem 9 passto make or break in relation to aconducting To the back-face of the armature and on the 15;

cause it permits the production and installation ing through theaperture of bracket 8 and locked 25.

of a single type of spring which can be used on on either side thereofby the nuts 29 and [2, rea number of relays of similar constructionadapted spectively, and is slidably secured to the end supto control aplurality of different circuit funcport l3 by bolt l5 which extendsthrough the tions, secondly, because the springs can be assemendsupport, passes through the elliptical slot i4 30 bled on the relaywithout the necessity of adin the end of the draw-bar and is secured bynut 3Q justment prior to shipment, and thirdly because H5. The suppo issecured to Clamping the adjustment required by the springs of anybracket 26 by screws 3|. Thus when the magnet relay can easily be madein accordance with the operates and the armature 3 is attracted to thecircuit requirements after the relay is installed on core 2, thedraw-bar, bein a e to t e ar w the apparatus frame and wired. In otherwords, ture by bracket 8, will move in the direction of the 35 the relayof my invention may be characterized armature by virtue of its slidableattachment to as a universal relay which is easily adapted to thesupport l3. When the circuit of the magnet different circuit conditions,is free from the usual is opened and the armature releases, the draw-barcontact troubles experienced with the ordinary Will move in the oppositedirection to its position 40 relay, is relatively cheap tomanufacture,and is of rest under the influence of springs 5. 4

easy to install and inexpensive to maintain. The draw-bar I0 is anon-conducting member These and other objects of the invention aretransversely slotted to imbed a number of conmore particularly definedin the appended ducting segments II which are sunk into the slotsclaims, while the construction of the relay and flush with the surfaceof the draw-bar. The

the mode of its operation can best be understood draw-bar may be slottedon its top surface alone 45;

from the following description taken in connecor on both top and bottomsurfaces depending tion with the attached drawing in which: upon thecontact spring load which the relay is Fig. 1 shows a perspective frontelevation of the designed to carry, the whole of each surface beingrelay with parts cut away to show the internal smooth and free ofirregularities in order to prestructure and arrangement thereof; sent afree sliding surface to the contact springs 50 Fig. 2 is a section ofthe relay drawn along projecting thereover when the draw-bar moves line2-4 of Fig. 1 to show the relation between back and forth under theinfluence of the armathe draw-bar and the contact springs cooperatingture 3.

therewith; while Each conducting segment II, whether located Fig. 3 is afront conventional representation of on the top or the bottom surface ofthe drawbar, is connected with a lug l! of a wiring terminal [8 by aflexible extension conductor such as 39, 'so that if an electricpotential is connected to the terminal [8, the corresponding conductingsegment I I is raised to the same potential, which further may becompleted into an electric circuit through the spring contact engagingthe segment, as more completely described hereinafter.

The contact springs of the relay, indicated by the numerals l9 and I9are of flexible spring contact metal, substantially L-shaped. The longeror horizontal arm of each spring terminates in a soldering terminal 29and is provided adjacent thereto with apertures through which mountingscrews may be extended for securing the springs to the relay frame aswill later be described. The shorter or vertical arm of each spring isoifset and may be bifurcated to form contacts which engage with thesurface of the draw-bar as disclosed, or may terminate in a singlecontact portion.

A pair of springs is provided for each conduc ing segment Ii of thedraw-bar, an outer spring [9 and an inner spring IS, the inner springdiffering from the outer spring only in that it is smaller and issecured beneath and in vertical alignment with the outer spring. Thewidth of the contact end or" each spring is less than the length of aconducting segment H.

The contact springs l9 and i9 and wiring terminals i8 are assembled invertical units which may comprise one or two wiring terminals and bothan upper and lower pair of contact springs or one pair of contactsprings as may be required. The several vertical units are assembledbetween the end support 2'! and the clamping bracket 26 and areinsulated from the support 2?, from the bracket 2'5 and from each otherby interposed insulating blocks 23, the support 2?, bracket 25 andblocks 23 being provided with apertures which align with the aperturesin the springs l9 and i9 and in the wiring terminals l8. For clampingthe entire assembly together screws 24 and 25 are provided which extendthrough the aligned apertures, and are insulated from the springs andwiring terminals by the insulating sleeves 22.

As can be seen from the figures of the drawing, the contacting tips ofthe springs rest upon the surfaces of the draw-bar and may be easilyadjusted, when the draw-bar is in the normal position, to engage eitherthe conducting segments H or the insulating segments therebetween. Whenthe springs, or any of them, are adjusted to engage the associatedconducting seg ments, the equivalent of a normally made contact, in theconventional sense, is effected due to the fact that an electricallyconducting path is then established say, for instance, from the terminali8, lug i'l, conductor 3!), segment ll, spring l9, and terminal 25} ofsaid spring. When the armature 3 is operated and the draw-bar 10 movesto the left relative to the spring contacts which are fixed andstationary, this conducting path is broken because the conductingsegment i l of the draw-bar with which the spring is engaged in thenormal position, is moved from under the tip of the spring and acontiguous but non-conducting segment is brought into contact with thetip of the spring, thereby giving the equivalent of a relay which, whenoperated, breaks two of its normally closed contact springs.

On the other hand, the spring may be adjusted quite as easily to engagea non-conducting segment when the draw-bar is in the normal position, inwhich case the equivalent of a relay with a normally open contact isprovided. When the spring is so adjusted and the armature operates andpulls the draw-bar to the left, the conducting segment contiguous withthe non-conducting segment with which the spring is engaged is movedunder the tip of the spring contact, thereby eifecting a closure betweenthe spring and the adjacent conducting segment and completing anelectric path through their respective terminals and the circuitconductors connected thereto.

Similarly, all springs regardless of the number used, although ofsimilar construction (except that the inner springs 19 are of smallerdimension than the outer springs 19) can be assembled at the factory onthe relay structure without regard to the contact combinations calledfor by the plurality of circuits which the relay may have to control.When the relay is mounted on the apparatus frame and wired in accordancewith the circuit requirements, the individual springs may then beadjusted either to be normally open by adjusting their contact tips toengage corresponding non-conducting segments of the draw-bar, or to benormally closed by adjusting said tips to engage correspondingconducting segments. When the draw-bar is pulled by the action of thearmature, the springs will either open or close the circuits controlledthereover, depending upon the character of their individual adjustment.Thus a relay is provided which readily adapts itself to simpleproduction methods without any special requirements of contact springconstruction and permitting the use of one type of contact spring forall circuit combinations.

It is also evident that the relay of my inven tion will operate andrelease without causing any vibration of the springs. The draw-barslides back and forth between the contact springs and whatever momentumis acquired by the draw-bar during the act of operating or releasing isnot dissipated by any collision with the contact springs themselves butonly by the rebound of the armature against the pole face. This reboundis, of course, communicated to the drawbar, but the width of itsconducting and nonconducting segments is such that any vibration whichresults from the dissipation of the momentum will not be suflicient tocause the springs to pass out of contact with the respective segmentswith which they happen to be engaged.

What is claimed is:

i. In a multicontact switching apparatus, the combination with two endsupports, of an electromagnet secured to one of said supports, a drawbarsecured to the armature of said electromagnet and slidably secured tothe other of said supports, said draw-bar having insulating andconducting segments transverse to the longitudinal axis thereof, aplurality of sets of contact springs for sliding engagement with saidsegments, a terminal lug for each conducting segment, said sets ofcontact springs and terminal lugs being assembled into a plurality ofunits, a plurality of insulating blocks for separating said assembledunits, means for clamping said units and blocks between said endsupports and flexible conductors extending from said conducting segmentsto said terminal lugs whereby upon the operation of said electromagnetsaid draw-bar will be actuated to control a plurality of electricalpaths between said springs and said lugs.

2. In an electromagnetic switching device, the combination with anenergizing magnet and a non-conducting draw-bar capable of oscillatorymovement under the influence of said magnet, said draw-bar beingprovided with a plurality of transverse conducting segments, of aplurality or contact elements divided into as many groups as there areconducting segments, said groups being disposed in substantiallyparallel vertical planes With respect to the surface of said draw-bar,the individual contact elements in each group being adapted forcontactual engagement with one con ducting segment or the insulatingportion of the draw-bar contiguous thereto.

3. In an electromagnetic switching device, a core, an energizing windingon said core, an armature, a draw bar connected to said armature havingconducting segments transversely imbedded in one of its surfaces, eachof said conducting segments having a wiring lug projecting beyond theedge of said draw-bar, a group of contact springsfor each of saidconducting segments supported in planes perpendicular to the surface ofsaid draw-bar, the depending contact portion of each of said contactsprings being laterally adjustable to normally engage either saidconducting segments or the adjacent non-conducting surface of saiddraw-bar, a plurality of wiring terminals supported rearwardly in theplane of said draw-bar, each one of said terminals being aligned withthe wiring lug of a corresponding conducting segment, and a flexibleconductor connecting the wiring lug of a conducting segment and itscorresponding wiring terminal.

4. In an electromagnetic switching device, a core, an energizing windingon said core, an armature, a draw-bar connected to said armature havingconducting segments transversely imbedded in both of its surfaces, eachof said conducting segments having a wiring lug pro jecting beyond theedge of said draw-bar, a plurality of groups of contact springs, eachgroup comprising a plurality of L-shaped springs having their longerarms supported edgewise and parallel to each other in a planeperpendicular to the surfaces of said draw-bar and the ends of theirshorter arms being adjustable to normally engage either the conductingsegments on the non-conducting surfaces of said draw-bar, a plurality ofwiring terminals supported in the plane of each of said groups ofsprings and flexible conductors connecting said wiring terminals withthe Wiring lugs of said segments.

ARTHUR S. DUBUAR.

